# Parents who name their child just the diminutive/short form of a given name **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 10, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382 "2023-12-10T20:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/241 "2023-12-14T02:29:22Z")
When I was a teen there was another in our church, a couple years older, whose legal name was Chip. The family was a perfectly ordinary family, with an ordinary surname; so why he got that name I don’t know. Harry and Hal have both been diminutives for Henry. How that came about I don’t know, as Harold would seem to be good for Harry. My father Harold had two middle names and one was Harry. Harold Harry Herbert Surname. Strange. But sometimes when the family on my mother’s side was together his BIL would refer to him as “H. H.” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/242 "2023-12-14T06:32:54Z")
He doesn’t like sharing his name with meat tenderizer? (Couldn’t resist.) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/243 "2023-12-14T06:36:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Mollies I know have that as their given name. Don’t know any Sallies or Hals. Gotta say, the plurals for Molly and Sally are Mollys and Sallys. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/244 "2023-12-14T14:20:51Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > When I was a teen there was another in our church, a couple years older, whose legal name was Chip. I knew a Chip who was essentially Junior, as in Chip off the old block > [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@pulykamell](#): > > > > Mollies I know have that as their given name. Don’t know any Sallies or Hals. > > Gotta say, the plurals for Molly and Sally are Mollys and Sallys. Even if the singular is Mollie? Yes I know one spelled that way. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/245 "2023-12-14T14:49:55Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@pulykamell](#): > > > > Mollies I know have that as their given name. Don’t know any Sallies or Hals. > > Gotta say, the plurals for Molly and Sally are Mollys and Sallys. My great niece is MollIE. Two of her would be Mollies. My sister is Susan, not Sue/Suzy/Susie. My brother is Steven, not Steve. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/246 "2023-12-14T16:00:54Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Even if the singular is Mollie? Yes I know one spelled that way. Which is why I wrote “the plurals for Moll **y** and Sall **y** ”. Those were the spellings of the names that puly was responding to. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/247 "2023-12-14T19:07:25Z")
There’s a very famous Korean singer who was born [Jennie Kim.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennie_(singer)) Not Jennifer, but Jennie. She is known mononymously as Jennie. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/248 "2023-12-14T21:31:20Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I knew a Chip who was essentially Junior, as in Chip off the old block A high school friend swore she knew of a family where the first son was named (say) Cuthbert Swogglingham Jones, Jr. But he went by “Chip” and the parents really, really wanted a Cuthbert, so they named their second son Cuthbert Swogglingham Jones III. I’m not entirely sure I believe it, George Foreman’s kids notwithstanding (this was a while before that), but it’s amusing to think about! ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/249 "2023-12-14T21:38:44Z")
The Molly (plural Mollies) is a common pet aquarium fish. From its former genus name Mollienisia. A sally (plural sallies) is a military sortie, a witty remark, and a few other things. I think if I were to refer to multiples of the girls’ name I would write Mollys, Sallys … if they were spelt with a y. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/250 "2023-12-14T21:55:08Z")
Mollys and Sallys is correct for names. I just had a brain fart. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/251 "2023-12-15T06:53:04Z")
Jack is a very common name here in Oz, I expect many of them would be unaware it is supposedly a form of John. My dad’s name was William, he was only called Jack from his earliest childhood. His dipstick next door neighbour used to call him John. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/252 "2023-12-15T11:06:22Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > At my last condo residence one of the nice old men was named “Adolf”. He and his wife were originally Austrian, had lived all over including South America, and had settled in the USA probably 50 years ago. I knew a guy called Dolph. His full name was Adolph, he was born in 1948… and he was Jewish. Apparently “Adolph” had been his grandfather’s name, and his mother, who apparently was a real piece of work, decided that there was no reason not to give it to him. He had an interesting childhood. Incidentally, Dolph, a native of Seattle, went on to become a successful psychiatrist and - I’m not kidding - the inspiration for the character of Frasier Crane from _Cheers_ and _Frasier_. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/253 "2023-12-15T11:28:40Z")
My entire family (7 aunts and uncles), my brother, sister and I were all raised Catholic, all named after either saints or major bible (New testament) figures. All my cousins, all my nieces and nephews, and both my children hold Catholic saints names, even though only my brother is religious, but he’s not Catholic any more. I’m a strong atheist, my sister is agnostic. It is probably that the Catholics played such a large part in European history and have so many saints that it is hard to find an English name without an attached saint. Mine is St. Anthony, patron saint of lost causes. You may pray for me! Also my preferred diminutive is “Ant” rather than the more common “Tony”. But I’d not call my child that, he’s already “James” which we extend rather than shorten, to “Danger James” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/254 "2023-12-15T16:28:41Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Is this a generational thing, as culture is tending in the direction of less formality in general? I’d contend there are a lot of “generational things” at play here, both in the naming and in the annoyance factor. And cultural things as well. My aunt (born 1925) didn’t like any “plain name”, and there would be pearls clutched as she’d make pronouncements like _"Never_ name a child Edward. _Ed_ sounds like… like _a garbageman!"_ She has a grandson Ed. On the other end of the age/class/race demographic, as a teacher I had to learn to pronounce (and not judge) a variety of names, and I had a college student whose first name was HendrixLover. He went by HendrixLover. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/255 "2023-12-15T17:06:17Z")
_And how 'bout those obituaries, eh?_… [taps mic] We’ve reached the age where we check the obits. And the massive number of people who aren’t sure anyone will know their dearly departed dad make for some inadvertent humor: In loving memory of **Robert (“Bob”) Reynolds**… or **Jonathan (“John”) Jacobs**, born in Long Prairie, Minnesota… or **William (“Bill”) Wilson** (Febuary 19, 1934 to October 11, 2023)… Is there ANYone who’ll be reading that obituary and think "Hey, that’s my old friend Bill Wilson! That’s his picture, and yep, he was Sergeant-at-Arms of the East Verona Rotary Club… …but who the heck is _William_ Wilson?" ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/256 "2023-12-15T17:33:35Z")
> [@digs](#): > > We’ve reached the age where we check the obits I’ve had a few friends who have died, leaving us all perplexed about their names. Pittsburgh tattoo legend Moose was known as Moose his entire career. When he died we were all sad but we were also surprised that he had a “real” name (Robert Rutter). ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/257 "2023-12-15T17:47:46Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Is there ANYone who’ll be reading that obituary and think "Hey, that’s my old friend Bill Wilson! That’s his picture, and yep, he was Sergeant-at-Arms of the East Verona Rotary Club… > > …but who the heck is _William_ Wilson?" Nope - but I’ve mostly seen obits without a photo… And some people so totally go by nicknames of various types that people don’t actually know their names - I remember being on a trip once, and the hotel clerk was calling out names to check us in. The last name called was “Marc” - and someone said something to the effect that there was no “Marc” i n our group. At which point I said " What , do you think his mother named him “Bucky”?" Or my Uncle Jimmy - whose actual name was Vincent. (long story having to do with Italian immigrants.) You would think that “Bill” for “William” or “Bob” for “Robert” are obvious - and they are to me but maybe it’s not so obvious to my 22 year old niece. Who might recognize “Will” or " Rob" but not the "B’ names. ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/258 "2023-12-15T19:32:57Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > My entire family (7 aunts and uncles), my brother, sister and I were all raised Catholic, all named after either saints or major bible (New testament) figures. > > All my cousins, all my nieces and nephews, and both my children hold Catholic saints names, even though only my brother is religious, but he’s not Catholic any more. I’m a strong atheist, my sister is agnostic. > > It is probably that the Catholics played such a large part in European history and have so many saints that it is hard to find an English name without an attached saint. Our daughter Maggie is formally Margaret, which we did to give her options as an adult, so as not to be the parents in the OP. When we floated the idea of naming her Maggie, my Mom said “there’s no St. Maggie.” That was not the reason for choosing Margaret, though. There doesn’t appear to be a St. Colleen (daughter 2) but Mom might have been quiet about that because it is a diminutive of her name, Colette. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/259 "2023-12-15T22:18:33Z")
My husband’s mother hailed from tidewater Virginia, where there is apparently an old-money tradition of ancestral surnames as first names. Which are then never used. One of his cousins (female) was named Beauchamp ('Beechum"), but everyone knew her as Muffy. Her sister I only knew as Widget. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382/260 "2023-12-15T22:22:31Z")
> [@mtnmatt](#): > > When we floated the idea of naming her Maggie, my Mom said “there’s no St. Maggie.” Excuse my ‘Not A Catholic’ brain, but why the need to name your child the same as a random saint? My Catholic friends have plenty of stories where words or some object will impart magic to the owner… is there a belief that the child’s life will follow that of the chosen saint? And do they consider that most of those saints were tortured or crucified (even upside down)? . eta: Peter was reportedly crucified upside down, and Saint Andrew diagonally (hence the X-shaped flag of St. Andrew, I assume). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-who-name-their-child-just-the-diminutive-short-form-of-a-given-name/994382.md?page=14)